Question reference: S5W-35676
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 2 March 2021
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Current status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 18 March 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many professionally-qualified building control officers have been employed by each local authority in each year since 2016.
Answer
Scottish Government launched the Building Standards Workforce Strategy on 1 October 2020, which includes an annual workforce data collection. The number of professionally qualified staff across the whole workforce has increased from 264 in 2019 to 270 in 2020. Only local authorities as employers will be able to provide this information from 2016 to 2018.
The lead officers involved in delivery of the building standards verification service are senior building standards surveyors and building standards surveyors. The data shows there were 258 lead officers in 2019 and an increase to 262 in 2020.
Officer role | 2019 | 2020 |
Senior Surveyor | 49 | 47 |
Building Standards Surveyor | 209 | 215 |
Total | 258 | 262 |
The number of professionally qualified staff is expected to rise in the short to medium term as a result of career progression and the successful recruitment of graduate surveyors into the profession. In 2020 there were 113 people in junior roles who offer potential to become professionally qualified.
Officer role | 2019 | 2020 |
Assistant Building Standards Surveyor | 47 | 46 |
Building Inspector | 35 | 37 |
Graduate Surveyor | 7 | 13 |
Building Standards Technician | 20 | 17 |
Total | 109 | 113 |
The number of qualified staff across the whole workforce has increased during the 2019-20 period.
Qualification level (All Workforce) | 2019 | 2020 |
Degree-level (SCQF level 9 to 11) | 310 | 316 |
HNC/ HND (SCQF level 7 to 8) | 140 | 149 |
Total | 450 | 465 |
From the total number of staff employed, the data indicates that 264 held membership of a construction sector professional body in 2019 and that figure rose to 270 in 2020.